Channel bonding with multiple network types

Abstract

Different data communication architectures deliver a wide variety of content, including audio and video content, to consumers. The architectures employ channel bonding to deliver more bandwidth than any single communication channel can carry. In some implementations, different network types may be channel bonded to function as a single logical channel.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A system comprising:
 an input interface; 
 output interfaces to individual communication channels, wherein the individual communication channels comprise different network types; and 
 logic in communication with the input interface and the output interfaces, the logic configured to:
 determine which of the communications channels to employ together as a bonded channel group; 
 obtain source data from the input interface; 
 identify certain packets of the source data as high priority packets; 
 distribute channel bonding information across the output interfaces; and 
 distribute the high priority packets redundantly across multiple communication channels in the bonded channel group. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the logic is configured to allocate a channel bonding buffer for each communication channel, the logic being configured to select a size of the channel bonding buffer based on the network type of the communication channel. 
     
     
       3. The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the output interfaces connect to an in-home network and the network types include at least two of MoCA, WiFi, powerline, and Ethernet. 
     
     
       4. The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the logic is implemented on a gateway. 
     
     
       5. The system according to  claim 4 , wherein the gateway is configured to communicate with a set top box to receive a communication channel preference from the set top box, wherein the communication channel preference indicates preference for receiving communication, at the set top box, from the gateway. 
     
     
       6. The system according to  claim 5 , wherein the communication channel preference from the set top box is a network type. 
     
     
       7. The system according to  claim 5 , wherein the communication channel preference is stored on the set top box. 
     
     
       8. The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the logic is implemented on a set to box. 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the logic is configured to distribute the data in a round-robin manner across the bonded channel group. 
     
     
       10. The system of  claim 1 , where the channel bonding information comprises marker packets. 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the logic is configured to select a communication channel for the high priority packets in response to the communication channel having a level of reliability above a threshold level of reliability. 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the logic is configured to select a communication channel for the high priority packets with a highest reliability of available communication channels of the bonded group. 
     
     
       13. The system according to  claim 1 , wherein I-frame packets of the source data are identified as high priority packets. 
     
     
       14. The system according to  claim 1 , wherein base layer packets of the source data are identified as high priority packets. 
     
     
       15. A system comprising:
 an input interface; 
 output interfaces to individual communication channels, wherein the individual communication channels comprise different network types; and 
 logic in communication with the input interface and the output interfaces, the logic being operable to:
 determine which of the communications channels to employ together as a bonded channel group; 
 obtain source data from the input interface; 
 assign packets of the source data into chunks, wherein a chunk is a set of packets; 
 identify certain chunks of the source data as high priority chunks; 
 distribute the high priority chunks redundantly across the communication channels in the bonded channel group. 
 
 
     
     
       16. A method comprising:
 obtaining a packet stream created by a statistical multiplexer; 
 dividing the packet stream into communication units, wherein a communication unit contains a plurality of packets; 
 identifying a bonded channel group of communication channels among a set of available communication channels, wherein a first channel of the bonded channel group has a first network type and a second channel of the bonded channel group has as second network type different from the first network type; 
 identify certain communication units of the packet stream as high priority communication units; 
 distributing the high priority communication units redundantly across the first channel and the second channel of the bonded channel group. 
 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 16 , further comprising obtaining a bit rate for each communication channel in the channel bonding group. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 16 , further comprising allocating packets to communication channels based on a channel condition of a communication channel. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 16 , further comprising allocating a buffer for each channel in the channel bonding group, allocating packets to communication channels based on buffer fullness. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 16 , where distributing channel bonding information comprises: distributing marker packets across the channel bonding group in advance of the communication units.